The Reality Check
by Footloose Poets
Summary: At 2243, a man was rushed into the hospital after a car accident. Concussed, he mutters about someone named Will and a place called Redmont. This is the third time he's pulled out his intravenous line in a panic. Doesn't he know it's keeping him healthy?
1. Prologue

**Why, hello there! It's me, Footloose Poets! Rest assured, I'm still writing 'The Troubles with Youth.' I just came up with this idea a while ago and I wanted to see what people thought of it. I suppose this is a twisted take on a Rangers in reality fanfic that everyone seems to write eventually. Trust me though, this isn't like the others; there is little humour in this one. It's not terrible - it's a bit of an adventure really. It's just not a comedy.**

**By the way, this is only a prologue.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: The Ranger's Apprentice series and its characters are the intellectual property of John Flanagan. I do not in any way own them.**

****Really, does that need to be said?****

**Since we're disclaiming, the part about the intravenous line in this chapter was inspired by a scene in 'The King of Shadows' by Susan Cooper.**

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><p>Debbie sighed as her mobile phone beeped, indicating she had received a text message. <em>Oh, great<em>, she thought, _I'm driving!_ She looked up and down the long country road. There was no one around. Maybe she could just read the text quickly, while she was driving. She reached over and grabbed her phone from the cradle, trying her best to keep an eye on the road. She snuck a look at the phone, then back at the road, then back at the phone.

Her second look at the road was a moment too late.

Something had run out in front of the car, and Debbie stepped on the brakes. She heard a horrifying thud as the bonnet of the car slammed into the man and sent him flying across the road. The car finally halted, but all too late. Debbie just sat there, stunned, until the truth sank in.

She'd just hit someone.

She'd just hit someone.

She'd just hit someone!

Strangely, she didn't scream; she didn't even feel uneasy. She must be in a state of shock. Then it hit her; what was she doing here? She'd just hit someone! She needed to see if they were okay.

Debbie climbed out of the car and saw the man sprawled across the road, and…

She looked away. She couldn't stand the sight of blood.

All there was left to do was call the ambulance.

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><p><em>2243:<em>

The man was rushed down the corridor on one of the hospital beds. Doctors barked orders and nurses followed them. As they rolled the bed into the surgery, the man gained consciousness**.** His head lolled about on the pillow groggily, and he stared blearily at all the commotion above him. All the frantic activity of the doctors and nurses, as well the bright lights and loud sounds distressed him. He began to thrash about, shouting in horror.

"Quick!" yelled one of the doctors. "Put him under. If he keeps struggling like this he'll hurt himself!"

The man protested violently as one of the nurses tried to hold a mask up to his mouth. The woman backed away, and several other nurses moved forward to hold the man down. Finally, they managed to get the mask on and give him enough anaesthetic to put him to sleep.

_0236:_

The man was suffering from severe concussion, and a couple of broken ribs. Apart from that, the doctors were surprised to find he'd come out of the accident relatively unscathed.

In his concussed state, he muttered incoherently to no one in particular. When the nurses came in, he grilled them urgently with questions about someone named Will. He wanted to know his whereabouts, if he was alright, and where he himself happened to be.

As soon as he opened eyes, he panicked and started to struggle again.

_0657:_

The man lay unconscious in bed, his arms and legs strapped to the sides of it in case he woke up. He had torn the intravenous line from his arm each time he saw it, crying out in utter terror. After the third time, the nurses had been forced to tie him down to prevent him from doing so again.

Didn't he know the drip was keeping him healthy?

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><p>The doctor sighed, "He's been like this all night?"<p>

The nurse nodded, "I'm afraid so, sir. Every time he wakes up he just becomes frantic. We try to calm him down, but he panics no matter what we do."

"Have you gotten any details from him? Maybe family names or an address?"

"Not in detail, sir. He just says he lives somewhere called Redmont. As for family, we're not sure who they are but he keeps muttering about someone called Will. He seemed very worried for him."

"So he didn't even have any identification?"

"None, sir."

The doctor considered this. The man in the bed before him seemed to have just come out of nowhere. He had no identification, and no one had reported someone missing who matched his description. When he was hit by a car last night, he looked like he had just left a medieval festival. It all sounded a little strange, but it wasn't too suspicious. The hospital often came across patients like this man, and they were always identified in the end.

"Alright," he said finally. "He shouldn't be discharged until tomorrow. Someone should be able to identify him by then anyway."

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><p><strong>Gee, I wonder who this man is? Spooky.<strong>

**What did you think? Please review!**

**Seriously, I'm not continuing this if I don't get reviews (for obvious reasons).**

**I'm afraid I can't say when this will be updated next, but reviews will definitely make me type faster!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hello! Sorry it's been sooo long since my last update! I know, I've been atrocious...**

**Rest assured, 'The Troubles with Youth' is being updated extremely soon (actually, I'm trying to get the next chapter up tonight).**

**Well, I'm back again! Thanks so much for all your reviews! I'm glad you all liked the first chapter :)**

**All your guesses as to who the man is (though it was probably pretty obvious; it was meant to be) are about to be proven (or disproven)! Yay!**

**Now, I would like to publicly thank Gwedhiel0117 for her help in this chapter. I wasn't sure what style to write it in and she gave me some pointers! Thank you! :D**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: The _Ranger's Apprentice _series and its characters are the intellectual property of John Flanagan. I own nothing... *sniff***

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><p>The patient stirred as Nurse Parker walked in. He let out a slight groan and murmured something again, as he had been doing most of the night before. Unfazed by the action, the nurse checked his chart; his temperature had remained relatively normal through the night, and if he regained consciousness today, he would be discharged tomorrow – excellent.<p>

The middle-aged man stirred again, slowly opening his eyes. He looked up at Nurse Parker with hazy eyes, then shifted uncomfortably, trying to pull his arm free of the straps tying it to the bed. He seemed to give up pretty quickly, though. Apparently he'd put up quite a fight several times last night, so his dull reaction today must have just been the after effects of the weak sedative he'd eventually been given.

Nurse Parker picked up the thermometer and moved up beside the man, "Sir, I just need to take your temperature."

She went to place the thermometer in his mouth, but he pulled away, frowning, "What?"

"I need to take your temperature," Nurse Parker repeated patiently; the man was obviously still waking up. "Could you please open your mouth?"

The man obeyed, and she gently placed the thermometer in his mouth. After a few moments, she pulled it back out again and checked it; his temperature was fine. She walked back to the end of the bed and recorded the information on his chart.

"…Where am I?" man asked after a long pause.

"St. Luke Hospital in Beggar's Bay, Sir," Nurse Parker replied. "You arrived last night after a car accident. You should be out tomorrow, fortunately."

The man didn't answer. He just frowned in utter incomprehension.

She decided to move the conversation on a little, "We need to know some details about you, if that's alright. You didn't have any identification on you last night, but we have to put this up on your medical record."

"…Medical record?" the man repeated.

"Yes. You'll need to fill out some forms and whatnot, but it can wait a while. Could I ask your name for now, Sir?"

"Halt."

"Excuse me?" Nurse Parker thought she'd misheard.

"My name is Halt."

"Oh," she wrote it down, clarifying the spelling with him first. "And your surname?"

The man didn't reply for a while, as if he was actually thinking the simple question through, "O'Carrick."

The nurse raised an eyebrow, "And how do you spell that?"

The man spelt it out for her, then asked, "What happened?"

Nurse Parker realised she had probably moved a little too fast, "I told you Sir, you were hit by a car. You had severe concussion and I believe you broke some ribs, but apart from that, you were very lucky."

The man still looked confused. Soon, the hazy look in his eyes cleared, and he stared around the small curtained area. His dark eyes moved from his bound limbs to the intravenous line in his arm. Nurse Parker swallowed; she'd heard about what happened when the man saw that. Sure enough, he let out a short cry of astonishment and violently tried to pull free of the straps holding him down.

"Sir, please calm down!" Nurse Parker rushed forward.

"What the _devil_ have you done?" the man shouted, his eyes wide with horror.

"Please, it's just a drip!" the nurse tried to explain.

The man paused and stared at her in disbelief, "A _what_?"

"It keeps you hydrated. It's transferring fluids – and some painkillers – into your bloodstream. It's keeping you healthy, sir, not hurting you."

What was wrong with him? Hadn't he ever seen drip before? Nurse Parker couldn't _imagine_ living in today's society and never knowing what such a simple piece of medical equipment was. The man hadn't said anything yet. He was staring in incredulous awe at the other equipment – particularly the monitor – around the bed.

"Sir, are you alright?" Nurse Parker asked uncertainly.

"What is all of this?" the man finally asked.

"It's just hospital equipment, sir. Surely you would have seen it all before?" the nurse frowned.

The man didn't answer. After a few moments, he looked the nurse up and down, an appraising glint in his eyes.

"What _are_ you wearing?"

Nurse Parker couldn't believe it, "It's my uniform, sir."

What was wrong with it? She looked down at the blue blouse and navy trousers she wore, just to make sure everything was neat. She was satisfied, but the man's odd look still left her doubting herself.

"Anyway," Nurse Parker decided to change the subject. "We need to know the contacts of your immediate family so we can inform them of your accident."

The man thought for a moment, then looked up at her a little sadly, "I've no immediate family." Nurse Parker frowned sympathetically. She couldn't imagine life without family herself. Before she could speak, he continued. "You can, however, contact Baron Arald of Redmont Fief and my apprentice, Will," that name suddenly seemed to spark something in his memory. "Wait, where is he? What happened to him?"

"I'm sorry sir, I don't know," the nurse really did feel bad that she could be of little help to the man. The worry in his voice didn't make her feel any better either. "Is there something wrong? Is he in some kind of trouble?"

The man looked up at her uncertainly, silently shaking his head.

Nurse Parker then realised what he had said before that, "Excuse me, but did you say the _Baron of Redmont Fief_? Where is Redmont?" She was a little worried the man mightn't be all there in the head.

"South-west Araluen," he replied, as if it were extremely obvious.

"Er… Araluen, the ghost town? In New South Wales?"

"What?"

"Uh," Nurse Parker was nonplussed. "Well, I'll get on to that. Do you know their numbers or… anything?"

"Their whats?"

"Their… never mind," she realised the man's concussion must still be messing with his mind. "Just rest. You're being discharged tomorrow, if you recover by then. If you need anything, just press this," she gestured to the small blue remote hanging next to the bed. "And the red one's for emergencies. One of the other nurses will be in later in the day with your lunch if you're feeling up to it, and the forms you need to fill out."

The man nodded, then blinked a couple of times. His head bobbed up and down a little, as if he were struggling to stay awake. Nurse Parker turned to leave, but his voice stopped her.

"Before you go," he said. "Would you mind untying me from this… bed?"

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><p>"This is<em> lunch<em>?" the man looked pleasantly awestruck.

Nurse Johnson liked that. Usually, he'd only get complaints. After all, the hospital menu wasn't the most extraordinary one around; patients, if they were well enough, only received soup, bread and juice for lunch. The man looked up at him, a little irritated.

"Do I get a drink with this?" he asked.

Nurse Johnson frowned, "That would be the tetra pack, sir. It's orange juice."

"What the devil is a tetra pack?"

What, had the man been born yesterday? Nurse Johnson picked up the orange tetra pack and shook it, producing a muffled liquid sound. He then pulled the straw off the side of the packet and pushed it into the foil circle to pierce it.

"There," the nurse stated. "A tetra pack, commonly referred to as a popper."

The man just stared strangely at the popper of orange juice, as if it were some kind of enigma.

Nurse Johnson decided to move things on a bit. "Well, when you're finished with lunch, we need you to fill out these forms," he placed a clipboard and pen on the table next to the bed.

The man picked it up to inspect it, "What's a _diabetic_?"

Nurse Johnson's eyebrows shot up, "You don't know what a diabetic is?"

The man flared angrily, "No! Why should I?"

"What, have you been living in a cave your whole life?"

"Apparently I have."

"A diabetic is someone with unusually high glucose levels, normally because they don't produce enough insulin."

The man blinked.

"Is there anything else you don't understand?" Nurse Johnson asked.

Of course, there were plenty of things the man didn't understand. Nurse Johnson ended up having to go through practically the entire form with him, which was no quick process. Some of the questions were skipped because the man had simply found them too confusing to answer, while others were skipped because he was appalled the hospital wanted to know such things. When they were finally done, the form was barely half completed.

"By the way, Sir," Nurse Johnson said as he collected the now empty food tray and the form. "One of the doctors noticed a growth on your left hand that could potentially be a cancer spot and he recommends you get it removed. You can book an appointment before you leave if you like."

"Alright…" the man sounded a little uncomprehending, and Nurse Johnson wasn't surprised.

"It's not a melanoma skin cancer, fortunately, but it's always best to remove cancers as soon as possible."

"Yes, yes…"

Nurse Johnson nodded and left, striding towards the exit of the room of hospital beds. That was _definitely_ one of the most bizarre patients he'd ever met. How could he not have known half of those things? He'd heard about how the man had been last night from some of the other nurses, but they'd all assumed it was just a side-effect from his head injury. Perhaps this was too. Since Nurse Johnson had started his shift this morning, the patient had pulled the nasal cannula out of his nose, which sent doctors in a mad hurry to his bed, fearing he'd stopped breathing. After all, they weren't sure whether or not his lungs had been damaged during the car accident, so they still had him under observation.

He must be mad to do such things!

But in the man's own opinion, he was the only sane one in the hospital.

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><p><strong>*Gasp!* Halt's in hospital! And everyone think's he's mental! And what's happened to Will that's got him so worried? Find out next chapter!<strong>

**Ta Daa! What did you think? Please Review!**

**I once again wish to apologise for my long absence. I'll try to update a lot sooner next time!**

**See you next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hello! Here it is, Chapter Three!**

**Yes, I did start school. I happen to live in Australia, see, and here we start the school year in late January, and** **finish in early December. Summer goes from December to February, so that's why.**

**I meant to tell you last chapter, but this story is set somewhere between the end of Book One and the beginning of Book Two, so Will is fifteen or sixteen (I'm not entirely certain, I'm afraid).**

**Yes, I do read author's notes; they're pretty funny sometimes. I just skip them occasionally (which is a little hypocritical since I write such long ones); sometimes I want to read the story too much, is all.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I think we all know I don't own _Ranger's Apprentice_. This is _fan_fiction; not _author_fiction.**

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><p>"Mira, wait up!" Joshua Williams followed his younger sister through the bush as she ran towards the back of their property.<p>

He sighed. He was meant to be working on his geography assignment, and his mother had told him to play with Miranda. After all, their property was fairly large and the eight year old girl didn't like playing on her own when she couldn't see the house. Josh just thought she should grow up.

"Come on, I want to find that koala!" Miranda called.

"But you'll scare it with your thunderous stomping the way you're going." Josh grumbled.

Suddenly, Miranda stopped dead. Josh frowned; he hadn't thought she was capable of that, so it concerned him a little.

"Mira, what's wrong?" he moved towards his sister warily.

"Josh, it-it's a… I think he's…"

For a moment, Josh was worried the koala they'd seen the other day had had an unfortunate encounter with a dingo. However, when he saw what it really was, he was just as shocked as his sister.

The boy was sprawled on the ground, unconscious. His clothes were dirty, his shoes were missing and his arm was bleeding. For a second Josh was scared he was…

"Is… is he d-de…?" Miranda asked fearfully, voicing both their thoughts.

Josh shook his head in uncertainty.

"Miranda, go up and get Mum," he instructed. "I'll wait with him."

Miranda nodded and ran up to the house, while Josh knelt beside the boy. He looked about fifteen or older, much like Josh himself. He was dressed strangely though; in fact, his tunic and loose breeches made him look like he'd come from the Beggar's Bay Medieval Festival that was finishing tomorrow. Josh assumed that was the case, especially since the boy wore an empty quiver on his back. How did he end up here, though?

Josh tentatively reached out checked the boy's pulse on his wrist. He sighed with relief when he felt the little rhythmic pumps of his vein.

Suddenly, the boy began to stir. He groaned, and rolled onto his side. His face screwed up as he clutched his head for a few moments, before his eyes blinked open and he squinted up at Josh. He tried to sit up, but barely got halfway before Josh had to help him. The boy muttered something and rested his head in his knees, too exhausted to do much else. He didn't move from that position for some time, even when Josh tried to talk to him.

"Josh? Josh, what's Mira on about?" Mrs Williams was being dragged towards them by Miranda. "Have you-" she gasped when she saw the state of the huddled mass of the boy beside Josh. "Oh dear, who's this? What happened?"

"We just found him here, Mum. I think he came from the Festival," Josh replied.

Mrs Williams knelt beside the boy and placed a comforting hand on his back. He slowly looked up at her.

"Hey," Mrs Williams smiled reassuringly. "Are you alright? What are you doing here?"

The boy stared groggily at her, then the surrounding bush. He suddenly looked quite taken aback.

"Where am I?" he asked softly, staring at the gum trees with fascination.

"Sweetie, this is our property. What are you doing here?" Mrs Williams replied gently.

"I… I don't … know…" the boy frowned in confusion.

He suddenly winced and clutched his left arm, and Mrs Williams bent over to see it. That's when she saw the blood trickling over the boy's fingers as he held them over the injury.

"Oh God, what happened?" she asked, her maternal instincts immediately kicking in.

The boy hesitated. In the end, he didn't answer.

"Come on, I'll take you up to the house and we can call your parents. And get that cleaned up. Can you walk alright?" Mrs Williams waited for an answer.

For a moment, the boy just remained silently incomprehensible, but eventually nodded slowly. Mrs Williams helped him to his feet, but as soon as he put weight on his right foot, he winced loudly and almost fell over again.

"My ankle…" he groaned. "I think I sprained it."

"Alright, let me help you," Mrs Williams placed an arm under his, and he slung his other arm over her shoulders so she could support him as he walked.

They moved through the trees towards the house, Josh and Miranda following behind. Mrs Williams realised she'd forgotten something.

"By the way, what's your name, sweetie?" she asked.

"Will."

"Just Will?"

"…Yes."

"Well, it's nice to meet you. I'm Julie, and this is Josh and Miranda."

The boy looked ahead, and his eyes widened with something like awe when he saw the Williams' house.

"Is that your _home_?" he asked.

"Yeah," Josh replied. "Nothing too impressive."

It wasn't really. Sure, he and Miranda got their own rooms, but it wasn't necessarily the largest house. His friend Cameron owned a mansion in comparison. Still, Will seemed to think it was massive.

As they got closer to the house, Will's wonder turned into apprehension, and he stared at it almost in fear. Everything about it seemed to baffle him; the solar panels on the roof, the air conditioner on the wall, and even the security screen on the sliding door as they walked through it and into the house.

But that was when he got really scared.

They'd just walked into the kitchen, and Will gasped and almost pulled away from Mrs Williams. His head swivelled from the oven, the fridge, the fluorescent light on the ceiling and the microwave.

"What is this?" he croaked, his throat dry.

"What's what, Will?" Mrs Williams was nonplussed.

"All of this!" the boy jerked his head forward in a violent nod towards the kitchen appliances.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Josh guessed Will's questions were aimed towards their brand new fridge. It had an LCD screen and one of those water dispensers the family (particularly Mr Williams) had always wanted.

"Cool?" Will looked puzzled by the word.

That annoyed Josh, "Well what would you call it?" He assumed Will was just being rude.

"I don't know…" the boy shook his head, letting go of Mrs Williams and backing awkwardly away from them.

"Will, what's wrong? You really shouldn't be on that ankle." Mrs Williams said in concern.

"Please, what's going on? What are all these… things?" Will was beginning to sound lost.

"Come and sit down, Will," Mrs Williams slowly placed a hand on his shoulder, but he pulled away, shaking his head.

"Where's Halt?"

"Who?"

"Halt. Where is he? Do you know?"

"I'm sorry, sweetie. Who's Halt? Is he a friend?" Mrs Williams asked.

_Halt_. That sparked something in Josh's memory. He knew that name from somewhere…

"He's… my mentor. The Ranger, Halt."

"Ranger?" Josh raised an eyebrow. "Like, a Park Ranger?"

Will frowned, "…No…"

"Look, just come and sit down please. You'll bleed on the floor otherwise," Mrs Williams instructed, beckoning Will to the dining table and giving him a seat.

She walked back into the kitchen and grabbed the roll of paper towels, tearing off a massive wad and handing it to him to hold over the injury for the time being. Then she left to fetch the bandages and Dettol. Josh sat down beside Will, who was currently staring at the lounge area and, in particular, the television.

"So how'd you hurt your arm?" Josh asked, causing Will's head to snap back in his direction.

"A… bandit got me with a sword. I didn't… get away in time," the boy replied.

Josh snorted in amusement, "And I suppose this was at the Festival? Were you duelling or something?" At least Will had a sense of humour.

"…No."

Josh opened his mouth to speak, but Mrs Williams had already returned.

"Okay, can I just take a look at that cut?" she slowly moved Will's hand away from his injury. "Oh my God, what did you do to yourself?"

She'd expected a bad cut at the worst, but this was a flesh wound that must have reached almost to the bone. It was absolutely horrific! Josh hadn't seen it either; he'd assumed the same as his mother. Fortunately, Miranda hadn't seen it; she'd run off to her room to play already.

Mrs Williams pulled out a long roll of bandages and, first cutting off Will's sleeve, began to bind his wound with the tourniquet.

"Come on, we need to take you to A and E. You're going to need stitches. I'll drive you, it'll be quicker," she said when she was finished.

"Where's… Ayenee?" Will asked slowly.

"Accidents and Emergencies… at the _hospital_," Josh said obviously.

"Oh leave him alone, that blood loss must be clouding his mind. Come on sweetie, I'll take you to the car," Mrs Williams helped Will up and led him to the door. "Josh, wait here with Miranda. If we're not back by six, heat up some leftovers."

"See you later," Josh called after them.

Mrs Williams helped Will down the front stairs, but he wasn't really concentrating anymore. He was staring at the garden and front lawn in amazement.

"Do you have servants to do all this gardening?" he asked.

"Oh, I wish," Mrs Williams replied. "It's just a hobby of hubby's and mine."

"…Alright. But how do you do all of it _and_ work?"

"Well, it's not easy, but the result is worth it all."

They were about to get in the car when the boy stopped.

"Will, what's wrong?" Mrs Williams had found all of these odd reactions very strange indeed.

"What _is _that?" Will was looking very distressed.

Mrs Williams was a little offended at that, "Well, it's no limousine, but it'll get us where we're going. Why, what's wrong with it?"

She didn't think the family car, a handy Holden Captiva, was in that bad a shape. What did this boy care anyway? Perhaps he was one of those spoilt little 'privileged' children that got carted around by chauffers all the time in big fancy cars. But he didn't seem like that sort of kid, and why would it matter in the first place? He was almost bleeding to death; he shouldn't worry about that sort of thing now.

"It's… what is it?" Will just stared.

"Oh, come on, just hop in. Trust me," Mrs Williams insisted.

Will looked up into her eyes, his own dark depths filled with fear and confusion. Eventually, he allowed her to lead him to the front passenger-side door. When she opened it, he stared inside for a moment before even moving to get in. He finally climbed in, with a lot of help from Mrs Williams. She rushed up the driveway to open the gate, then jogged back and got into the driver's seat. She pulled on her seatbelt and waited for Will to do the same.

But he didn't.

"Come on, sweetie, put your seatbelt on. You'll get me arrested otherwise."

Will frowned, and Mrs Williams finally guessed what was wrong.

"Oh, sorry!" she said, leaning over him and pulling the seatbelt on for him. After all, the poor thing couldn't be expected to pull it on with blood pumping out of his arm.

The boy just looked strangely around the interior of the car – especially the dashboard. Mrs Williams didn't notice; she placed the key in the ignition and turned it, and the engine rumbled to life. The boy started with alarm.

"What was that? What's happening?" he began to panic.

"Calm down, it's just the car engine. Are you sure you're feeling alright, Will?" Mrs Williams was worried about more than just the boy's arm now.

Will just looked up at her, utterly bewildered. His mouth moved up and down as he slowly shook his head, but no words came out. Mrs Williams frowned sympathetically, but then turned back to the driveway and placed a foot on the accelerator. The car lurched forward, and Will suddenly grabbed the dash.

"We're rolling," he stated.

"Well, of course we are," Mrs Williams couldn't believe it. "We're driving to the hospital, sweetie, not skating there."

"What?"

"Look, you've lost too much blood, you're delirious! We need to get you to the hospital."

Without waiting anymore, Mrs Williams drove out of the driveway, braked, got out of the car, closed the gate again and got back in. They drove out onto the main road towards the city, which was currently experiencing peak afternoon traffic (not that it was atrocious; it was just the people heading home to rural properties from their work in town).

Will went pale as he stared incredulously at the passing cars. He didn't say anything; he was beyond words now.

"Do you want to call your parents now, Will?" Mrs Williams asked.

"My parents?" Will frowned.

"We need to let them know you're going to the hospital. You can call them on my mobile if you want; it's just in the cradle there."

Will was silent for a moment, "I… I don't have any… parents."

"Oh, dear, I'm sorry. I had no idea!" Mrs Williams was afraid she'd upset him now.

"That's alright. I never knew them."

Mrs Williams hesitated, then decided she needed to find out, "Then who you do live with? We need to call them so they can come and pick you up."

"Now I live with my mentor, Halt the Ranger."

"A _Ranger_? What exactly does he do?"

"You know. Er, he works for the King and… protects the kingdom, I guess."

"Kingdom?" Mrs Williams was getting more concerned by the minute.

Perhaps Will was talking about the Medieval Festival, and it was all a role-play of sorts. _Some role-play! _she thought. _People aren't meant to actually get injured!_ She realised now that he also spoke with a strong British accent; he could be a foreigner. He claimed he lived with his mentor. Since when have apprentices done that, anyway? She'd expected foster parents maybe, but this didn't make any sense. She was beginning to wonder if the boy had an 'active imagination,' or even if he was a little… unstable. It could explain his behaviour.

She shook the thoughts away. It was none of her business. The boy was probably just a little dazed after that terrible injury.

Right now, she should just focus on getting Will to the hospital.

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><p><strong>So there you go, people. <em>That's<em> where Will is.**

**Er, was that chapter alright?**

**Please Review!**

**See ya!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Yes, it's me! Sorry it's been _weeks_ since I last updated, but I've had a bit of writer's block with this story. Also, I'm finally on holidays! I just had the last week of school term, which was all about assignments and exams. I just didn't have the time!**

**But I'm here now. Very soon, for those who are wondering, I will update "Troubles with Youth", so be patient.**

**By the way, I am fully aware there are already a ton of Rangers in Reality type stories, and knew that before I even began writing this one. Unlike my other story, this isn't very unique. But I assure you, this story is _different_ from the rest! But since the characters are in _reality_, and present day, I'm afraid the RA book series exists. But trust me, there's no, like, fangirl-ing over the characters or something ridiculous like that. I'm trying to make this _real_. And no, Josh hasn't read the books.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I think it goes without saying that I don't own the _Ranger's Apprentice _series, as badly as I wish I did.**

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><p>Mr O'Carrick, the apparently Irish patient who was to be discharged from the hospital today, had become the gossip of the day among the staff and even the other patients of St Luke's. His strange behaviour had sparked many rumours, and there were a couple of theories about his origins, which were so far a mystery.<p>

Most thought he'd enjoyed a little too much dark ale at the Beggar's Bay Medieval Festival, where he'd almost certainly come from, and had ended up stumbling through the bush and eventually out in front of a car. Other more creative gossipers had concocted a story that involved a last chance at love and an attempt to romanticise a rendezvous with serenades and medieval costumes. Then some joked he was from the past, or another universe.

Whatever the case happened to be, Mr O'Carrick was still a mystery; one that even he himself couldn't recall properly. He had virtually no memory of the accident, nor how he ended up at the site of it in the first place. All he had was a hazy recollection of the events that took place before it. They had apparently involved bandits (who calls them bandits these days anyway?), a river, and someone falling into that particular body of water. Mr O'Carrick wasn't very sure what had happened after that, except his apprentice – what their trade was, no one knew – was almost certainly in some sort of trouble, and needed to be found.

On top of this, Mr O'Carrick's concussion was also giving him grief. He had 'a bit of a headache' that was so terrible he hadn't used a single polite word to describe it yet. He was offered some pills a couple of times to help ease the pain, but each time he'd simply stared at the nurse strangely and eventually refused.

As well as the headache, he still had trouble getting his thoughts together. He'd ask questions occasionally like: "So I hurt my head somehow?" or, "How long have I been here, again?" No one was terribly worried – these sorts of questions were often asked by victims of concussion, simply as a side-effect; they would wear off over time.

He had calmed down considerably since yesterday, thankfully. He now seemed to accept his surroundings, as little as he apparently understood them. However, he still insisted that he was from a place called Redmont in the kingdom of Araluen (which he'd clarified was not in fact the ghost town in New South Wales) and that Baron Arald should be notified of his accident immediately; despite this, he failed to provide any contact details whatsoever. It was beginning to make the staff wonder if he was all there in the head after all.

Which, despite strong evidence to the contrary, he was.

* * *

><p>Constable Jones and his partner Constable Jennings arrived at St Luke's at 9 o'clock sharp that morning. One of the nurses led the officers to Mr O'Carrick's bed in the Observation Ward, explaining the patient's recent behaviour.<p>

"He's been acting rather… strange, I suppose you could say," she told them. "He's a little forgetful and whatnot, thanks to his head injury, but it's not just that."

"What else has he been doing?" asked Constable Jennings, furrowing her brow.

The nurse hesitated, "He's a bit… I don't know, confused."

"Confused?" Constable Jones repeated. "In what way are you talking about, here?"

"Well, he seems a bit flustered or something. I can't really describe it. He acts like he's… well, he didn't even know what a tetra pack was. Does that help?"

"So he's a little…" Jones searched for a good word, then decided blunt was best. "mental?"

"Er, I don't know if that's what you'd say, but… actually, I think you've got it right. Either that or he's _literally_ been living in a cave all his life."

They reached Mr O'Carrick's bed, and the nurse pulled aside the curtain so the officers could enter.

"Mr O'Carrick?" the nurse asked quietly, and the man looked up, one eyebrow raised inquiringly. "This is Constable Jones and Constable Jennings," she continued. "They've come to ask you about the accident."

"Alright," Mr O'Carrick nodded his greeting to each of the officers.

"I'll leave you to it," the nurse smiled and left.

There were a few moments of silence while Mr O'Carrick grimly watched the two officers from his place on the bed, waiting for one of them to speak. Constable Jones, being his usual authoritative self, saw fit to begin by clearing his throat.

"Mr O'Carrick," he said. "were you, or were you not, the victim of a car accident at ten twenty-ish on Wednesday evening?"

Jennings rolled her eyes. Jones' ridiculous drive to keep things as official and straightforward as possible had always got on her nerves. She'd often contemplated just telling him to shut up and let her ask the questions for once, but she could already see what would happen if she did.

"Have to follow protocol, Jennings," he'd say. "It exists for the best. After all, there's no point interrogating a witness if they weren't even one to begin with."

Mr O'Carrick thought about the question he'd been asked.

"I'm told I was," he answered. "Meanwhile, not a soul has told me what a car is in the first place."

"What?" Jennings couldn't believe her ears. "Are you joking?"

"I know. It's atrocious. You'd think, after I've asked countless times someone would actually-"

"Wait," Jennings interrupted. "So you really don't know what a car is?"

"No. Is it something I _should_ know?"

"Struth! The nurse was right, you're-"

"Constable Jennings!" shouted Jones. "Let's not insult him. Now, we're getting off topic – we're here to question him about the accident, not his knowledge of cars." He turned grumpily to the man, "Mr O'Carrick, we need to know what happened when you were hit. Ms Walker has told us her side of the story and now we need to know yours."

"Who the devil is Ms Walker?" the man asked.

"Deborah Walker is the woman who was driving the car when it…when it hit you, Mr O'Carrick. Now, she claims you just ran out in front of the car and surprised her. Is that true?"

Mr O'Carrick thought for a quick moment, "I don't quite remember. I suppose it's most probably true – I'm very good at surprising people after all. It's part of my job."

"Oh yes?" Jones raised an eyebrow. "And what is that job, sir?"

After a short pause, Mr O'Carrick grimly replied, "I'm a King's Ranger."

"A… King's Ranger, sir?"

"Yes."

"What does a _King's _Ranger do that's different to an ordinary Ranger?" asked Jennings.

Mr O'Carrick frowned, "Nothing. They're the same thing."

"So you're a Park Ranger?" Jennings wanted to clarify.

The man's eyebrows drew together sharply, "What? A _Park _Ranger?"

The officers exchanged confused glances.

"Er, anyway, Mr O'Carrick," Jones changed the subject back to the original one. "You don't remember what happened when you were hit?"

Mr O'Carrick didn't answer. Instead he asked, "Who exactly are you anyway? What do you want with this information?"

Constable Jones cleared his throat with the authority of a man who enjoyed being in charge and doing things that showed he was.

"Mr O'Carrick, surely our uniforms are enough to-"

"Oh, save your breath, Martin!" spat Jennings. "We've got what we needed to know, he's not telling us anymore. He knows who we are, he's pulling your leg – something I've never had the patience to do," she turned to Mr O'Carrick. "I commend you for it. Now, let's get out of his way, shall we?"

She pulled open the curtain for Jones, but for a moment he just stood there, opening his mouth to protest. He closed it however, when he realised Jennings was right. _Not that that happens very often_, he thought ignorantly about the entire female gender, and left. Jennings smiled politely at Mr O'Carrick, before following her partner into the aisle.

Mr O'Carrick just frowned after them.

_I have to get out of here_, he thought. _Otherwise I'll end up like them._

* * *

><p>"Constable Jennings," Jones told his partner as they made their way through the hospital towards the exit. "I really didn't appreciate being treated like that in front of-"<p>

"Give it a rest, will you?" Jennings interrupted. "I was doing you a favour. Knowing you, you would have sat there and tried to make sense of that nut-job all day otherwise."

"I'm a bit concerned about his occupation," Jones thought aloud, ignoring Jennings' remark. "A _King's Ranger_. I've never heard of one."

"A _he's_ never heard of a car, apparently. Really, can't you put two and two together already? The man's mad!"

Jennings walked on ahead a little, leaving Jones in what she considered uselessly deep thought. There was something about Mr O'Carrick that Jones couldn't quite put his finger on.

"His name sounds familiar," he finally decided, then caught up with his partner.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, I'm not sure I like that chapter as much now that I read through it. What do you think?<strong>

**I'm sorry if Halt was a little OOC, but you may find that head injuries do that to a person; that's a fact.**

**But the main reason is that I was feeling very Douglas Adams-inspired as I've been reading his _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ and its sequels lately. I highly recommend them, by th****e way.**

**Anyway, please review!**

**See you next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 4

**As I sit here and write this, I think about the last time this fanfic was updated and think of only one thing to say...**

**Sorry!**

**I can't believe it's been so long! School really held me up this year! I can't wait till Summer holidays come around in December!**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter, and thanks to everyone who's still following this fanfic after all this time! Now, this story has started off a little slow, and I'm sorry but I'm having a lot of trouble with it. At the moment, I'm establishing characters. Very soon, we'll get into some real action.**

**Will and Halt are in Australia for two very good reasons:**

**1. _Ranger's Apprentice _is an Australian series, so it would make sense that they ended up here.**

**2. I live in Australia, so it's a lot easier for me. And I thought it might be a bit funnier, too.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: The _Ranger's Apprentice s_eries is the intellectual property of John Flanagan. Anything I write can be considered just another RA fanfiction on a website called , and not an attempt to be famous (that will be coming soon, however...).**

* * *

><p>Martin Jones drove up to Beggar's Bay State High School and waited for his daughter, Nicola. He quickly scanned the crowd of teenagers for her, and spotted her talking to several other girls – she hadn't noticed him. With a sigh, he began to count.<p>

58… 59… A full minute had now passed.

He honked the car horn and watched the group of students jump. Their heads snapped around simultaneously and Nicola rolled her eyes. She said goodbye to her friends and ran to the car. Getting in, she stuffed her bag in the back seat and pulled on her seat belt. Martin put his foot on the accelerator and the car rolled away. There was a long moment of awkward silence among father and daughter. Nicola hadn't regarded Martin once yet, and didn't look like she was going to any time soon.

She had been like this for the past six months, since the divorce. Being an only child made her parents' separation just that little bit harder, and apparently she'd sided with Deborah in the end, who'd already changed her surname back to Walker. Being fifteen, Nicola was allowed to decide whether or not she stayed with her father when his week came to have her, and he'd been worried she wouldn't. Thankfully however, she hadn't yet missed a week.

"So…" Martin tried. "How was your day at school?"

"Good."

"… What did you do?"

"Stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

"You know… English, Maths, Geography…"

This conversation was going nowhere fast. In fact, it had already ended. There was another long silence.

"I got to boil chlorophyll out of a leaf in Biology today," she mentioned.

"Oh really?" Martin asked hopefully. Perhaps this time the conversation might last a little longer.

"Yeah," Nicola continued. "It was alright."

Even more silence.

"How's that boy Jack?" Martin was getting desperate.

"His name is _Josh_, Dad."

"Yeah, him. How is he?"

"Good. Can we go to the movies on Saturday night?"

"What, you and I?"

Nicola stared at him as if he'd just asked what an iPod was, "No… _me and Josh_."

"Oh. Is anyone else going?"

"Well, Joanne and her boyfriend are going."

"Uh-huh. So you're trying to tell me you're going on a double date."

"Pretty much."

Martin frowned, "I'll think about it."

Nicola sighed and reached back to pull a book out of her bag. Sitting back down again, she began to read. Martin couldn't pass up another opportunity to talk to her.

"What's that you're reading?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"Ranger's Apprentice," was his daughter's brief answer. "Book eight."

That sounded familiar.

"Uh-huh. Did you read that book I got you for Christmas?"

"Dad, that book was Ranger's Apprentice book _one_."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"So you've obviously enjoyed it then, seeing as you're up to book eight."

"It's alright."

There was another break in the conversation. Still, this was going pretty well.

"What was it about again?" Martin asked, as if he'd known what it was about in the first place. He had only bought her the first book because she'd asked for it, and had barely even read the blurb.

Nicola let out another long sigh, as if speaking to her father was one of the most exhausting tasks she could do, "It's about this kid named Will, in the Medieval times or something. He's an orphan at the Ward, and this guy named Halt – he's a Ranger –"

That name sparked a very confusing memory in Martin's mind, "Wait. A _King's _Ranger?"

"Yes."

"_Halt O'Carrick_?"

"Yes."

Martin nearly hit a streetlight when he swerved off the road after slamming on the brakes.

* * *

><p>"Thank you ma'am," Will gave Julie a small smile as she handed him his dinner.<p>

"You're welcome, sweetie," she beamed, and left the boy to eat alone.

Yesterday afternoon had almost ended in a catastrophe. By the time Will had arrived at the hospital, he'd been on the verge of fainting. Despite the obvious health issues such a state indicates, it had made Julie's job a lot easier in that the boy's panic had been reduced to slurred words of fear and fascination. He'd been rushed to a doctor almost immediately and stitched up.

The most difficult part had been filling out Will's medical forms, considering the fact the boy couldn't provide anything beyond where he lived – a place that apparently didn't exist anyway – and the name of his mentor Halt. Naturally, the hospital staff were more than a little suspicious, and had even mentioned calling the police. Julie had almost agreed, until deciding that she wanted to find out more about the boy before she went that far. So on an impulse she'd let him stay with her.

After being lent some clothes, he had slept quite comfortably on the floor of Josh's room the night before, even with his stitched arm and swollen ankle. The next morning he'd only caused minimal fuss when waking Josh up at five o'clock instead of the usual seven to ask him where he was and when he could go home. Josh had thrown something at him in response, swore a couple of times, rolled over and gone back to sleep. When he awoke at an appropriate hour, Will was still sitting on the floor, apparently having been awake the whole time, watching him nervously.

From there Julie had driven her children to school, bringing Will with her to keep an eye on him. He hadn't proved to be much trouble, sitting in the very back of the SUV with his head in his hands, muttering anxiously. When they got home, Julie had made it her job to find out as much about the youth as possible – and teach him about pretty much every appliance in the house – before the end of school.

He was still revealing very little. He was an apprentice apparently, who lived with his mentor, Halt. The man was the closest thing to family Will – an orphan – had. He was training to become something called a King's Ranger, which involved defending 'Araluen' (probably some Medieval Historical Society the boy was a member of) from enemies. As to how he ended up on the Williams' property, he couldn't explain himself very satisfactorily. He had apparently fallen in a river after being struck by a bandit's sword, hurting his ankle on the riverbed before…

Julie couldn't take much more of Will's outrageous story. She just left him to his own devices while she cooked dinner.

Still, he was a mystery that had to be solved soon. And his background must have been bizarre! He hadn't seemed to have even _heard_ of a toilet before. Julie was beginning to wonder if maybe this mentor he lived with was one of those historical extremists who lived under strict simplicity. But even then, the boy should at least have heard of electricity!

"Julie?" she heard Will ask behind her.

She turned to see him offering her his empty plate.

"Thank you, Will," she smiled, taking it and dumping it in the sink with the other dishes she was washing. "Would you like to go and watch television with Josh and Mira?"

He shook his head, "No thank you. Do you need some help?"

She smiled again, "If only every teenager had your manners, Will. It's alright sweetie, you should keep off your ankle."

He nodded quietly and limped towards the back door.

"Where are you going at this time a night, Will?" Julie asked curiously.

Will looked up, "I was just going to sit outside, ma'am. Is that alright?"

"Well… yes, but would you like some Aeroguard?"

"… Aeroguard?"

"You know, keeps the mozzies away. You'll get eaten alive, otherwise."

"Oh. Er, alright."

"It's just on the bench there."

She pointed at the metallic blue aerosol can on the bench beside the door. Will frowned at it, and picked it up. Eventually he pulled the lid off it and stared at the nozzle oddly. He pushed down on it carefully and was almost blasted in the eyes by the spray that was projected from it. He coughed as he inhaled the fumes.

"Careful!" Julie raced forward and took it from him. "We do this outside, Will. That way we're not poisoning everyone, okay?"

Will frowned at that, and fiddled with the door handle. He tried to pull the door open but he'd forgotten to unlatch the little silver lock.

"Here, let me help you," Julie offered again.

Will allowed her to open the door and he hobbled outside. Julie quickly slid the door shut behind her.

"Alright. Hold out your arms and hold your breath," she instructed the teen, and he silently obeyed.

She sprayed the back of his arms and calves, then moved to the front and did the same. When she'd finished, she told Will he could let go of the breath he was still holding. The boy exhaled and thanked her, though he was clearly as bewildered as ever. After muttering a quick "you're welcome," Julie shuffled back inside.

Tomorrow, she decided, she was _definitely_ going to have to call someone. Child Services, most probably.

* * *

><p>"Mum, how much longer is he going to stay?" Josh asked his mother in hushed tones as they sat in the living room.<p>

"I don't know, Josh. As long as he needs to," his mother sighed.

"But why? He's probably a crim."

"Josh!"

"Well, it's more than likely! He could be a druggie who got beaten up and left here 'cause he couldn't pay!"

"Josh, don't be so ridiculous! If anyone's at fault it would be his parents!"

Josh just stared at his mother as if she were insane. She always had to see the _good_ in everyone, didn't she? Will's arrival was a little too suspicious for Josh, but Mrs Walker seemed to see right through it. And his father was no better; he probably wouldn't care if his wife took in every feral that passed the house. Josh groaned and stomped off to his room. He sat down at his desk and opened his laptop. He signed onto Messenger and found Nicola was online.

_Hey Nic,_ he wrote.

After a few seconds, a reply was received, _Hey._

_What you up to?_

_Not much. You?_

_I think Mum's finally cracked._

_What? How?_

_She's letting some guy stay with us. IN MY ROOM._

_WHAT?! How old is he? What does your Dad think?_

_He's only about 15._

_Oh._

_He's one of the Medieval Festival geeks, I think._

_What? What was he like?_

_I'll explain at school._

_OK. Dad freaked out today as well._

_Huh?_

_Something about some guy he questioned. Has the same name as a character in a book._

_Spooky. LOL._

_Yeah. Character from Ranger's Apprentice._

_Is that the book you like?_

_Yeah. Halt O'Carrick._

_WHAT?_

_Halt O'Carrick. The guy Dad questioned had the same name._

Josh froze. _Halt_. That was the person Will kept talking about. That was the name that had sounded so familiar. So Will was talking about…

"_Mum!_"

* * *

><p><strong>As you can see, I don't spend a lot of time on any IM sites.<strong>

**What did you think? I was a bit unsure about this chapter, I thought I was waffling a bit.**

**I'd love to hear your opinion in a review!**

**See you next chapter! Or in _The Troubles with Youth _or _Life, the Imagination and Everything _if you've been reading them (Life, the Imagination and Everything will probably end up with another chapter or two after all, so stay tuned folks!).**


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